THE month of October ended with, a week of strong winds rising at times to gales, which reached their climax on the 28th and 29th. On those two days it blew a severe gale from the south and west over Southern Ireland, England and Wales, rising in places to hurricane force, gusts of 85 miles an hour being recorded at Holyhead. On land much damage was done by the winds and floods, and a number of lives were lost, and hundreds of people rendered homeless.

At sea, during the eight days from the 22nd to the 29th October, there were seventeen Life-boat launches at different places all round the coast, from Stromness in the Orkneys to St.

Mary's in the Isles of Scilly. Of these launches ten took place during the height of the gale on the night of the 28th and the early morning of the 29th.

The two outstanding services of the week, and, so far, of the year, were carried out by the Motor Life-boat at St. Mary's on the night of 27th October, and the Moelfre, Anglesey, Pulling and Sailing Life-boat on the night of the 28th. The very gallant service of the St. Mary's Life-boat, and three other boats, to the Italian steamer Isobo, the Institution has recognized by awarding two of its Silver Medals and six of its Bronze Medals, besides lesser awards; and it has marked the fact that the service of the Moelfre Life-boat to the Ketch Excel was carried out in the severest of weather, and that skilful seamanship, courage, and devotion to duty were conspicuously shown by all on board in face of the greatest danger, by awarding two of its Gold Medals, and thirteen Bronze Medals.

These are the first Gold Medals to be awarded since the service to the S.S. Hopelyn by the Life-boats at Gorleston and Lowestoft on the Bast Coast in 1922. During the nine years since the end of the War, five Gold Medals have been awarded for three services, and two of those services have been carried out by Welsh Life-boats—the service of the Fishguard Motor Lifeboat to the Dutch Motor Schooner Hermina in December, 1920, and now the service of the Moelfre Life-boat.

In the course of these seventeen launches, thirty-one lives were rescued by Life-boats, but unfortunately not without loss among their rescuers. One man of the very gallant Moelfre Crew, William Roberts, died during the service from exposure.

The gales during this last week of October caused a terrible tragedy among the fishing population of the Islands off Co. Mayo and Co. Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, over 50 lives being lost. On this coast the fishermen use either open rowing-boats or canvas coracles. No weather reports are received in these remote islands and villages, and though it was known that a gale was coming, the little fleets had put out on Friday night. An attempt to stop some of them was made by a priest, who had learnt from his •wireless of the approaching storm, but he was too late; there were no means of signalling, and in the night the open boats and coracles were overwhelmed.

The Life-boat story of this week of fierce storms, tragedy and magnificent courage is best told day by day in the order of events.

The first service of the week was on Saturday, the 22nd., -when the LJandu& no Life-boat went out afc eight in the evening, in a strong breeze with a rough sea, to the help oi a motor yacht, Delphor, of Liverpool She had anchored in the bay, but dragged her anchors, drifted beneath the pier, breaking her mast, and was then carried on to the rocks of the Great Orme. Here the Life-boat rescued her crew of three, but for two hours the Life-boat had to wait in the bay, until it was considered safe for her to come in. The owner of the yacht gave £5 to be divided among the Life-boat Crew.

Two days later the Lowestoft Motor Life-boat went out in the afternoon to the help of a Dutch sailing lugger, Johanna Marie, which had gone aground on the Newcome Sands, and was pounding heavily. There was a strong breeze and a heavy sea, following a N.E, gale the night before. The Dutch skipper asked for immediate help. A tug had also put out, and the Life-boat got a hawser from her to the stranded lugger. By means of this the lugger was towed off the sands, the Lifeboat standing by until she and her crew of twelve were safe in harbour.

Ten Lives Saved from a Trawler.

The following day the Stromness Motor Life-boat was called out shortly after one in the morning to the help of a steam trawler, Amethyst of Hull, which had run ashore on Hoy Head, while on. her way home from the Faroe fishing. A strong breeze to moderate gale was blowing from S. to S.W., with a moderate sea, and there was heavy rain. The Life-boat anchored, veered down to the trawler and took off the ten men on board her. The trawler herself became a total wreck. Three years ago, on the 4th October, 1924, the same Lifeboat rescued ten men from the steam trawler Hessonite, belonging to the same owners, the Kingston Fishing Company, which had been wrecked in a dense fog at Birsay. The Company has sent the Institution £10 in gratitude for the service to the Amethyst.

Wreck of the S.S. " Isabo " on the Scilly Rock.

Two days later, on the 27th, came the first of the two great services of this week. At five in the afternoon the Italian steamer Isabo, of nearly 7000 tons, with a cargo of wheat, ran ashore in a dense fog on the Scilly Kock to the west of the Island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly. A moderate breeze was blowing from the south-west, but it increased later to a gale, and all the time the sea was very heav.y, accompanied by a south-westerly swell. The steamer's syren was heard through the fog, and the first boats on the scene were three from Bryher—an open boat, the Czar, 30 feet long, manned by eight men, and two motorboats, Ivy and Sunbeam, each from 20 to 25 feet long, with a 7 h.-p. engine.

The gallant work of each of these three boats deserves to be separately described.

Mr. William B. Jenkins was in charge of the Czar, and the spirit in which he went about the work of rescue can he judged from his remark when the great risk of his attempt was pointed out to him: " I'm going to save those men, if I have to swim for it." On reaching the scene of the wreck, he and his crew found a number of men adrift on floating wreckage, and at very great risk in that heavy sea and in the midst of jagged rocks they succeeded in picking up eleven men. These they transferred to the motor-boat Ivy, so as to make room to rescue more, as it was felt that a pulling-boat ran less risk in the broken water than a motor-boat.

They continued their search, and three more men were picked up. Then, hearing cries from the ship, they closed in on her and succeeded in getting a line aboard, by means of which another man was hauled through the water.

The St. Mary's Motor Life-boat had now arrived on the scene, and the Czar accordingly made for shore, the darkness, fog, and heavy sea all combining to make her return difficult. After landing the men, Mr. Jenkins and his crew took them to their houses, fed them, and lent them warm clothing.

The Ivy, manned by a crew of three, i . «!••!• i, LlFEpDATS COURSE TO WKCCK _.»«_* LIFEBOATS COURSE HOME THE SULLY ISLES CABLES 10 5 o SCENE OF THE WRECK OF THE S.S. "JSABO." ISLE or AMGLESEY SCENE OF THE WRECK OF THE "EXCEL.1 with Mr. Ernest Jenkins in charge, was the second boat on the scene. She was in grave danger throughout on account of the mass of wreckage among which she had to manoeuvre, and the floating wheat from the cargo which threatened to foul the machinery. She was, however, most skilfully handled, and picked up one man out of the water and took over the first eleven men rescued by the Czar, The Sunbeam, which carried on. her upper deck a dinghy, 9 feet long by 4 feet 6 inches broad, arrived on the scene in growing darkness, to hear cries in the water, but the mass of wreckage made approach impossible.

She succeeded, however, in picking up one man by means of a line. Mr.

Charles Jenkins, her coxswain, then very gallantly launched the dinghy and set out in her himself, accompanied by a young man, Edward Reginald Jenkins. By means of this tiny boat they rescued three men in succession, each having to be hauled in very carefully over the stern for fear of capsizing her. As it was, she was half-filled with water. Meanwhile the Sunbeam herself had picked up another man. Then, hearing cries for help from the westward, the Sunbeam, went in that direction and found the vessel. Closing down on her port quarter, the Sunbeam's crew succeeded in getting a line on board, and by this means were able to haul a further seven men, including the captain, through the sea into their boat.

As most of the men, like those picked up by the other boats, had no clothes, it was imperative to get them ashore quickly if their lives were to be saved.

Accordingly, the Sunbeam returned ashore and left the Motor Life-boat to complete the rescue.

The Motor Life-boat had been called out at 5 p.m., and had left the slipway eight minutes later. She had nearly four miles to travel, threading her way through Samson Mats, and thence from Bar Point past Colvel Rocks to Castle Bryher Island in growing darkness —- a difficult and tortuous passage which only a man with a thorough knowledge of the dangers would dare to undertake. When she reached the Scilly Kock she could see and hear nothing in the dense fog.

She therefore went to Gweal Rock, but finding nothing there went back to Scilly Rock. On the way back she met the Ivy, and from her obtained news of the wreck and its position. She reached it at about 9 p.m. Cries were heard from the foremast, but the Coxswain was faced with a grave problem. Not only were the seas now breaking right over the steamer, and actually over the men clinging to her rigging, but the wind had increased to gale force. To attempt a rescue in such circumstances was hopeless. It would almost certainly have meant the loss of the Life-boat and her crew, and as a consequence the loss also of the lives which she was trying to save.

Some of the Life-boat Crew wanted to make the attempt, and were with difficulty persuaded against it, but Coxswain Lethbridge, a most courageous and experienced Life-boatman, exercised his judgment in deciding that they must wait until dawn. The Life-boat accordingly put in to New Grimsby.

There the men landed to get a little food, and then all re-embarked and remained in the boat all night.

Rescued at Dawn.

At about 4 next morning the local doctor, Dr. W. E. Ivers, who had come over from St. Mary's in the Duchy of Cornwall motor-launch, offered his services, which were accepted, and once more the Life-boat set out. Dawn was just breaking as she reached the wreck, and the piteous cries for help from the rigging showed that she was still in time to save life. She approached from the lee side—anchoring on the weather side and veering down was out of the question—and the Line-throwing Gun was fired. The first line fired carried away. The second fell right across the ship, but the men aboard her were not able, or were too exhausted, to reach it.

A third line was then fired and a direct hit made, but in attempting to secure it one man was washed overboard.

The Life-boat dashed into the breakers and was able to save him. Happily he was wearing a life-belt, for he was unconscious when picked up, but he was brought round after much labour by Dr. Ivers, helped by the Assistant Motor Mechanic.

Two men then slid down the forestay of the wreck. As each, reached the forecastle-head he was swept into the sea, and it was only by a miracle that each man was saved. In each case the Life-boat closed in, threw a line to the man, and then went astern, towing him until the boat was clear of the rocks, when her Crew were able to get him on board.

Lusty yells were then heard from a rock some distance from the ship, and a man was seen clinging to it. He was naked, save for a life-belt. He had been on the rock all night, and, incredible though it seems, he was actually asleep when the Life-boat arrived in the morning, and was awakened by the reports of the Line-throwing Gun J A line was fired at him. In attempting to secure it he was washed off his feet by a wave, but he struck out gallantly towards the Life-boat and was safely picked up. For the present there was nothing more to be done, and it was imperative to get the rescued men ashore, so the Life-boat shaped course for home. Not only had the rescued men been in the rigging all night, with a gale Wowing and the waves breaking over them, but they had suffered intense pain from the grains of wheat, of which the cargo was composed, being blown, into their faces. When taken on board the Life-boat they were so exhausted and so numb with the cold, that the Life-boat men, after reviving them with rum, had to feed them by hand with chocolate.

As the Life-boat was passing Bryher, Dr. W. B. Addison, the Honorary Secretary, who had come out in a motor-boat, was taken on board. The survivors were landed at 8.30 in the morning, and the Crew went home for a meal and change of clothes. At 9.45 a.m. they set out again, with Dr. Addison on board, to search for more survivors. Finding none, they returned at 12.45 p.m. Six men were missing, and it was believed that three had been drowned in the stokehold when the vessel struck. One man had died in the rigging, and a fifth had dropped off some time during the night. Of the sixth nothing was known.

So ended this dangerous and gallant service, in the course of which thirtytwo lives were rescued of the Isabo's crew of thirty-eight. It took place on.

the Thursday and the Friday. On the Sunday night twenty of the survivors attended church at St. Mary's, and prayers were said by the Vicar, who knows a little Italian, in their own language.

The Awards.

Where all behaved so gallantly, the Institution found it difficult to single out those who deserved special recognition, but it decided to make the following awards: To Coxswain Matthew Lethbridge, the Silver Medal To Second Coxswain James T. Lethbridge, an elder brother of the Coxswain, the Bronze Medal.

To Motor-Mechanic T. H. Rokahr, who handled the engines most ably, particularly when the propeller was fouled by some wreckage, the Bronze Medal.

To Dr. W. E. Ivers, who in spite of the fact that he was not a sailor, and, though not sea-sick, suffered much physical discomfort from the rough weather, the Bronze Medal.

To each of the nine remaining members of the Life-boat Crew, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

To the Coxswain and Crew extra monetary awards were also given.

To Dr. W. B. Addison, Honorary Secretary of the Branch, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on vellum, in recognition of his courage in going out in the Life-boat, as ne has done on other occasions, where his medical services might be required, in spite of the fact that he sufiers from rheumatoid arthritis.

The following awards were made to the men who manned the Czar, the Ivy, and the Sunbeam, for the gallantry which they showed : To Mr. Charles Jenkins, Coxswain of the motor-boat Sunbeam, who rescued three men in the dinghy, the Silver Medal.

To Mr. Edward Reginald Jenkins, who went in the dinghy with Mr. Charles Jenkins, the Bronze Medal.

To the other four men of the Sunbeam's crew, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

To all six men a monetary award was also made.

To Mr. William E. Jenkins, who was in charge of the open boat the Czar, which rescued fifteen lives, the Bronze Medal.

To each of the other seven men in the Czar, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

To all eight men a monetary award was also made.

To Mr. Ernest Jenkins, who was in charge of the motor-boat Ivy, which picked up one man and took over the first eleven men rescued by the Czar, the Bronze Medal.

To each of the other two men of the Ivy's crew, the Thanks of the Institution inscribed on Vellum.

To all three men a special monetary award was also made.

The Institution also made special monetary awards to the crew of four of the Duchy of Cornwall motor-launch, who took Dr. Ivers to Bryher, and made two trips on the following day, in the worst weather, and gratefully acknowledges the help given by Mr. Moat, the Coast-guard Officer, and Mr. Ernest Jenkins, a civilian coastwatchman, who first heard and reported the Isabo's signal of distress.

The man who had been asleep on the rock was the second-mate. The story he told when he landed explains his remarkable endurance. He is 24 years old, very strong, and a powerful swimmer : " As a lad at home I used continually to swim five and six hours daily.

During the war, when our little boats were not allowed to fish off shore, my father and I used to swim out two and a half miles with spillers, and unwind the line and hooks from a board as we swam, and later go out and wind the line hooks, and fish up round the board, and with one hand supporting us swim ashore. I owe my life to these practices.

I never feared to drown from the first." When he got into the water from the wreck he found an oar and floated with it until he came to a big rock. Round this he swam looking for the lowest place to attempt a landing. He found one where a receding wave left the rock exposed for some fifteen feet, and waited for the next wave to carry him on to it; seized it and held on with all his strength until the receding wave allowed him to crawl up it. He walked round to see if any other men had got on to it; hunted for seabirds' eggs, but found none ; and then got some shelter in a little cave, where he kept himself warm by exercise and massaging himself.

The Moelfre, Anglesey, Service.

On 28th to 29th October, the night following the service of the St. Mary's Life-boat, the gales reached their worst, striking with special violence on the coast of North Wales and Lancashire.

That night nine Life-boats were launched. Five of them were from Stations in North Wales, and of those five, four were from Anglesey. These nine were the Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat at Moelfre, the Motor Life-boat at Beaumaris, the Holyhead Steam Lifeboat (which was launched twice), and the Holyhead Pulling and Sailing Lifeboat (all Stations in Anglesey), the Motor Life-boat at Porthdinllaen (Carnarvonshire), the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat at Maryport (Cumberland), the Motor Life-boat at Weymouth on the South Coast, and the Motor Lifeboat at Cromer and the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat at Sheringham on the East Coast.

The first of the nine to be called out was the Moelfre boat.

At about 3 in the afternoon a message was received from Point Lynas that a vessel was in distress about 3| miles off the lighthouse. A whole gale was blowing from the S.W. with a very heavy sea, and the weather was very cold. The Coxswain of the Life-boat was away, and the Second Coxswain took charge, the greatest kindness by Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave. They had then been out for over seventeen hours. During the whole service the Second Coxswain, William Roberts, had remained at the tiller. For some hours after he landed he was completely blind, from the salt water, the wind, and the terrible strain of that unceasing and unrelaxed watching at the tiller through the whole night. While the Second Coxswain was at the tiller, the leadership in this magnificent service, and in the heroic decision by which the crew of the ketch were saved, was shared with him. by Captain Jones.

The Awards.

The Institution has therefore made the following awards :— To Second Coxswain William Roberts, the Gold Medal, the highest honour which it can bestow, and which it gives only in recognition of great courage and leadership in face of very grave danger.

To Captain Jones, the Gold Medal.

To each of the other members of the Crew, the Bronze Medal.

To the widow of William Roberts, the Bronze Medal. She will also receive a pension, as her husband died on service, and an allowance for a grandchild dependent on her.

In addition to the Medals, the Institution has made the following awards : To Colonel Lawrence Williams, Honorary Secretary of the Moelfre Branch, an inscribed barometer in recognition of his unremitting exertions to keep in touch with his boat and to keep up such communication as was possible, most of the telegraph and telephone wires having been blown down. He was out all night in his motor-car, had some narrow escapes from falling trees, visited many places in the course of the night that are considered dangerous for a car even in daylight, and did not return home until he knew his boat was safe.

To Captain B. B. Davies, the Honorary Secretary of the Anglesey local committee, an inscribed barometer in recognition of the prompt steps he took to try and keep communication open when the telephone wires were blown down, and for his work in meeting the Moelfre Life-boat and arranging for the accommodation of the crew at Beaumaris. Captain Davies, like Colonel Williams, was out all night and spared neither himself nor his car.

The whole crew were completely exhausted by their long and terrible struggle. All needed medical attention, and were unable to return to work for a week, while some of them did not recover for two and three weeks.

A letter of thanks has been received from the owners of the Excel.

Other Launches on the Night of the 28th.

On the opposite side of Anglesey to Moelfre and Beaumaris. the two Holyhead Life-boats were also out for the greater part of the night, the Steam Life-boat being launched twice, the second time in search of the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat. No lives, however, were rescued. In one case the vessel only required a pilot, while the crew of the other vessel, which had driven ashore in shallow water, were able to land unaided.

Meanwhile, at Porthdinllaen, on the other side of Carnarvon Bay, two steamers in the bay were seen to be making signals of distress, shortly after ten at night. They were found later to be the Matje of Hull and the Dunvegan of Preston. The wind was so violent that the Honorary Secretary and the Coxswain had to crawl part of the way to the Boathouse for fear of being blown right over the cliff. The tide was high and the sea was running right into the Boathouse. It had even torn some of the rollers on the slipway out of their sockets and washed them away. To launch in such circumstances would have been dangerous if not impossible, and it was decided to wait until the tide had ebbed a little, especially as it cou2d be seen that the steamers were dragging out to sea, and were in no immediate peril. Ihe Life-boat waited until midnight, and was then launched, the Honorary Secretary, Captain Owen Evans, going with her, as he frequently does.

Both steamers were found to be holding their own, but the Life-boat followed them to be ready in case of need. About three in the morning the wind took off, the sea moderated, and both steamers were able to get back into the roads, one anchoring there, while the other, having lost her anchor, steamed right on to the sandy beach. The Life-boat kept with them until they were safe, and it was not until eight in the morning that she was once more inside the breakwater.

Extra monetary awards have been made to the Coxswain and Crew, and Letters of Appreciation have been sent to the Honorary Secretary, and to Mr.

T. Hoopt-r, the foreman in charge of certain shore Engineering work now being carried out at the Station, who also went out as a member of the Crew.

This is not the first occasion on which he has done tfiis, and on the last he was presented with an inscribed barometer.

A Letter of Thanks has been received from the Captain of the S.S. Matju.

Farther north, on the Cumberland coast, the Maryport Life-boat was launched to an unknown vessel, reported to be drifting in the Solway Firth. A whole gale was blowing here from the W.N.W., bringing so heavy a sea right into the harbour that the Honorary Secretary doubted if it would be possible to go, but the Coxswain replied at once, " I'm going." The Life-boat made the most gallant attempts to clear the harbour, but was finally blown against the North Pier and slightly damaged. As there was no definite news of the vessel, the Life-boat was recalled and the Crew stood by in readiness. An extra monetary award was made for this launch.

On the South and East Coasts.

On the south coast the Weymouth Motor Life-boat was out for nearly six hours, from 6.30 in the evening until after midnight, in response to the S.U.S.

of the steam-tanker M. Arnus of Barcelona, but the tanker got safely into Portland Roads under her own steam.

On the East Coast the Cromer Motor Life-boat and the Sheringham Pulling and Sailing Life-boat were both out for half the night searching for a missing motor fishing boat. They both passed within a few yards of her in the darkness, but she had no means of signalling, and the matches of her crew were soaked through. The Life-boats returned without having found her, but in spite of the fact that her engine had broken down she succeeded in making the shore, her crew taking to the oars.

Later in the day, two more Life-boats, both on the Welsh Coast, the Motor Life-boat from Mumbles and the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat from Ferryside, were out searching for a small boat, reported to be capsized with a man clinging to her, but nothing could be found, and it was discovered later that what had appeared to be a boat was a buoy which had broken adrift.

So ended these eight days of storm.

There have been weeks in which more lives have been rescued, but in the violence of the gales, the dangers faced and overcome, and the gallantry and endurance of the crews, this last week of October, 1927, may rank with the greatest weeks in the history of the Service.

There is one other fact of interest to be added to the summary of the week given at the beginning of this article.

There were seventeen launches of Lifeboats, and the total number of lives rescued, including those rescued by the three shore boats from Bryher, was sixty. In awards to the Life-boatmen and other rescuers who took part in these services, and to the launchers of the Life-boats, and in compensation to the Moelfre Crew who were incapacitated by their long and terrible struggle, the Institution has paid over £800. In addition to this the pension granted to the widow of the Moelfre Life-boatman who died of exposure, would, if purchased as an immediate annuity, cost some £700. This sum may be fairly added to the capital cost of the gales, and makes a total of about £1500. It includes nothing in respect of the other expenses of those services, such as the repair of the damaged Moelfre Life-boat.

It consists simply of the awards, monetary and other, which have been made to those who took part in the work of rescue during this one week of gales..